Housing for a forced draught space heater



United States Patent Inventor Gunter Petz,

N uernberg-Katzwang, Germany (12, Volzstrasse, Nuernherg, Germany) Appl. No. 703,827 Filed Jan. 10, 1968 Patented Oct. 20, 1970 Priority April 5, 1967, March 16, 1967 Germany E 3,374 and E 24,882

HOUSING FOR A FORCED DRAUGHT SPACE HEATER 6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 7. 126/114, 126/ 1 10 Int. Cl F24h 9/02 126/1 14,

Field of Search 56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,241,025 5/1941 Wedderspoon 126/1 10BX 2,284,138 5/1942 Evans eta1.... 126/114X 2,960,085 11/1960 DuFzlult 126/110BX Primary E.\'aminerCharles J. Myhrc ABSTRACT: The specification describes an improved housing of sheet material for a forced draught space heater. The housing is made in two parts which are held together by means of overlapping strips or tabs arranged at the bottom arrises and at the top rear arris. For removing or replacing a front air exit grid the two housing parts can be swung in relation to each other.

Patented Oct. 20, 1970 Sheet 1 of2 FIG] INVENTOR Gunter ETZ y M 4' Patented Oct. 20, 1970 ass li'ii i Sheet 3 of2 INVENTOR Gugter' |;ETZ

HOUSING FOR A FORCED DRAUGHT SPACE HEATER The present invention relates to multipart housings for forced draught space heaters.

Such housings are already known which are made up of two housing parts which are connected together by gripping means such as screws. A disadvantage of such housings is that the screws project from the housing walls which can be seen from the front and make them uneven. Such housings are also already known which have support feet which are mounted on limbs which can be set at different angles of inclination for supporting the heater. Such support feet make for a complicated construction of the heater housing and do not ensure that the degree of inclination is maintained.

One object of the invention is to simplify the construction of such heater housings.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heater housing which does not have holding means such as screws projecting from its walls which are visible from the front.

In accordance with one feature of the present invention a housing for a forced draught heater is made up of two shaped parts or halves which are held together, one half forming, substantially, the upper wall of the housing, the side walls and a part of the front wall which borders on the top part of an air outlet opening, while the other shaped part or half forms the rear wall, the bottom wall and the bottom part of the front wall bordering on the air outlet opening. Preferably there are provided at the rear of the top wall of the housing and at ends of the side walls, pairs of overlapping tabs or flanges which are held together by means of gripping means.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of one shaped housing part.

FIG. 2 is a view of a further housing part.

FIG. 3 shows part of the housing formed by putting the two housing parts together.

FIG. 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows an air passage grid or grill from the front.

FIG. 6 shows an air passage grid in plan view.

FIG. 7 is a partial section ofa housing part as shown in FIG. I on a larger scale.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that the housing for a forced draught air heater is made up of two shaped parts or halves I and 2. The shaped part 1 comprises the top wall 3, the side walls 4, and the top part5 of the front wall of the housing. The part 2 forms the bottom wall 6, the rear wall 7, and a further lower part 8 of the front wall. The side walls 4 are provided at their bottom free ends with holding or retaining flanges 9 which have plane-parallel tabs 10 at a somewhat higher level, while the upper wall 3 has at the rear a retaining flange or strip 11. The sections 5 and 8 of the front wall have inwardly projecting parts 12 and 13 for carrying an air passage grid. In the construction shown the bottom wall 6 has a length less than the distance between the side walls 4 so that when the part 2 is fitted together with the part 1, ends of the bottom 6 fit against the tabs 10 and do not overlap the flanges 9.

The rear wall 7 is provided with a strip or tab 15 which is plane-parallel to it but not coplanar, and is arranged to overlap the flange or strip 11 when the two housing halves are fitted together. In order to form wall faces which are perpendicular to each other in the housing, the ends of the tabs 10 are cut back at 16 by an amount equal to the wall thickness of the sheet material used for the housing halves, the bottom part of the front wall and the rear wall 7 fitting into these cutback portions when the housing is assembled. Finally in the part 8 and the rear wall there are cut back portions 17 into which the ends of the flanges 9 fit in the assembled condition of the housing. The flanges 11, the flanges 9, the bottom 6, and the part 15 are provided with holes 18 which can either be arranged to overlap completely when the two housing parts are fitted together or can be arranged only to overlap partially. These holes serve for receiving gripping means 19 such as screws or the like. With partial overlap of the holes 18 insertion of gripping means causes the housing halves to be displaced somewhat in relation to one another and they are held in a stressed condition.

Reference numeral 20 denotes the air outlet opening in the front wall of the housing. The opening is provided with the air passage grid 14 which comprises parallel horizontal rods 14 connected by rods 14'. The ends of the rods 14' are held in transverse rods 21 of rectangular cross section, which together with the edges of the side walls 4 form the corners at the front of the heater housing. The rods 14" are of reduced cross section at 22 and fit in holes 23 in the parts 12 and 13 so as to hold the air passage grid 14 in the air outlet opening 20.

Replacing of the air grid is shown in FIG. 4. In this FIG. it is supposed that the part 2 has already been connected with the part 1 and is in the position indicated in broken lines so that the edges of the cut back parts 17 rest on the tabs I0 and the ends of the part 13 rest on the tabs 10. The air passage grid 14 will now be placed in position by inserting the upper parts 22 of reduced thickness into the holes 23 of the part 12 and by swinging the part 2 so as to bring the part 22 into the holes 23 in the part 13. The part 2 then is in the position shown in full lines in FIG. 3. By inserting gripping means such as screws in the holes 18 the two housing parts or halves l and 2 are fixed in their relative positions. The swinging movement of the lower housing half 2 in relation to the upper one substantially simplifies assembly of the housing as a whole.

As can be seen from FIG. 2 the rear wall 7 is provided with a cut out part 26 so that a flex sleeve or grommet 27 can be slid in from the side. A gripping part 28 serves to prevent the grommet from pivoting in relation to the rear wall. Furthermore the top wall 3 is provided with louvers 29 to form the air inlet passage for forced draught to be drawn into the housing. The louvers 29 are formed by pressing parts 29' inwards. Each louver is of v-shaped cross section so as to a make it resistant to bending and thus provide for a strong top wall of the housing. An opening 30 in the top wall 3 serves to receive a switch for operating the heater.

I claim:

I. A forced draught space heater comprising a generally parallel piped-shaped housing of sheet material, comprising upper and lower housing halves of which the upper half includes a top horizontal wall, vertical side walls, and a top part of a front vertical wall, while the bottom housing half forms a lower wall, a rear wall, and a lower part of the front wall, an exit opening being left between the bottom and top parts of the front vertical wall.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1 comprising joints between the bottom ends of the side walls and adjacent parts of the bottom wall, each such joint being made up of an overlapping flange and tab attached respectively to the bottom and side walls, and gripping means pressing the flanges and tabs together.

3. The structure as set forth in claim 2 in which the tabs are carried on horizontal flange means on the side walls, the horizontal flange means lying at a lower level than the tabs and being parallel to the tabs.

4. A structure as set forth in claim 3 in which the ends of the tabs are cut back a distance corresponding to the thickness of the sheet material of the bottom part of the front wall and the rear wall respectively, the bottom corner parts of the rear wall and the bottom corner parts of the bottom part of the front wall fitting into these cut back portions.

5. A structure as set forth in claim 1 comprising horizontal flange means at the bottom edge of the top front wall part and the top edge of the bottom front wall part, and a vertical air passage grid fitting into holes in these flange means.

6. The structure as set forth in claim 1 comprising parallel louver means in the top wall, each louver means having a surface which extends obliquely downwards towards the front air exit opening. 

